The Helen Grindrod Social Mobility Prize: In Review

By Levon Curtis.

Reading time: five minutes

A personal review of the Helen Grindrod Social Mobility Prize hosted by Lincolns Inn.

Introduction

The four Inns of Court (Gray’s Inn, Lincoln’s Inn, Inner Temple and Middle Temple) are often described as the ‘Hogwarts’ of the real-world. This description led to me being curious as what to expect when joining an Inn of Court. This article will describe my personal experience of winning the Helen Grindrod Social Mobility Prize and the summer school that is provided as part of the prize. Lincolns Inn launched this prize in 2023 with the aim to improve access to the profession for those and to support high achieving students from lower socio-economic backgrounds by providing them with experiences and opportunities that will encourage them to make informed choices about their career at the Bar.

The application process

The application process for this prize consisted of a written application with an academic referee also making a submission. Applicants must be in their penultimate year of a qualifying law degree and must have attended a state school or a private school with the help of a means tested scholarship.

Further, applicants must meet one of the following criteria:

• Ever been in receipt of free school meals.

• First in their family to attend university.

• Have parent(s)/guardian(s) who received income support or they themselves are in receipt of income or housing benefits.

• Spent time in care during their school years.

• Refugee status.

• Those who are or have been a young adult carer.

• Eligible for a maintenance loan from Student Finance of more than £6,700.

Although I will not explain exactly what the application process entailed to ensure a fair process for all those applying in the future. I would, however, state that the application process was very user-friendly and allowed for the applicants to show their written advocacy skills to a prestigious institution. Before even receiving the prize, I was able to improve upon those necessary skills needed in the legal profession when drafting an application.

The prize

Upon winning, I received an email on June 26th, notifying me of my success. Never did I think that I would be successful in receiving the prize. I was informed that I had received the following:

• £250;

• The opportunity to attend a Prize Winners Summer School;

• Free membership of Lincoln’s Inn (which entails discounts to qualifying sessions, training weekends, mooting sessions and access to the Lincoln’s Inn library);

• A Mentor; and 

• A Mini-Pupillage.

The prizes set out are vital in those who come from a low socio-economic background to feel supported in their journey to a career at the Bar, and within the Inn. The Inns of Court have pioneered opportunities to increase diversity and inclusion at the Bar, and the prizes that are offered here are key in the initiatives that Lincoln’s Inn offer. The opportunity to attend the summer school stood out as one of the key prizes to me, as with it came the opportunity to dine with members of the Inn, as well as participate in a series of educational lectures and events. This summer school came with accommodation and travel expenses arranged for and paid as part of the prize reducing the financial barriers that many face when accessing events at the Bar and the legal profession.

The summer school

Last year, the summer school at Lincoln’s Inn ran between Wednesday 12 June and Friday 14 July. On the first day we had an icebreaker session to get to know the winners of the Helen Grindrod Prize, as well as those who won the Lord Neuberger Prize that were also invited to the summer school. This was followed by a talk from one of the Outreach Coordinators about Lincoln’s Inn, the Bar Course and Scholarships. I found this session to be very informative about the different experiences that the Inn has to offer, as well as the different ways that people utilise to get a career at the Bar. After this, we received a tour of the Inn and then went to a reception at the MCR restaurant and bar. During this reception we spoke to barrister volunteers, student scholars, and Benchers which offered the opportunity to interact with barristers and gain valuable advice.

Day two featured ethics and public speaking workshops, led by barrister volunteers. The ethics workshop covered various ethics scenarios that barristers may face in the profession. We worked through solutions using the Bar Standards Board Handbook and asked questions about ethics at the Bar, which was invaluable, since ethics at the Bar is not something that many students will explore during their undergraduate degree. The public speaking workshop, focused on presenting speeches on the topic of law reform, followed by constructive feedback from the volunteers.

After, we visited the Old Bailey and watched a case, followed by a talk from HHJ Leonard on life at the Bar and the Judiciary. Following this insightful experience, we attended a qualifying session. This consisted of a talk on “the experience of exclusion and dealing with it” by a group a barrister and a Domus Dinner with barristers and benchers. This dinner was an insight experience into the community of Lincoln’s Inn, as well as providing helpful insights into the profession. It was also my first experience into what a qualifying session was, and I now know that they are necessary to be called to the Bar at your Inn.

The final day started with a talk on scholarships at Lincolns inn in more detail. Following this, we had a case workshop where we discussed potential matters for interest when making submissions in court and what is likely to be deciding factors for judges when deciding a case. Following this we had lunch as a cohort of prize winners which marked the end of the summer school.

Summary

The Helen Grindrod Social Mobility Prize and the associated summer school are instrumental in shaping a career at the Bar. This prize is a brilliant opportunity for those who want a career at the Bar to build connections, gain experiences and receive insights from the profession. I would strongly encourage those eligible to apply.